Shower head



l. H. RUSSELL Jan. 22," 1952 SHOWER HEAD 2 SHEETS-SHEET l Filed Nov. 5,1948 INVENTOR. JRV//VG H. RUSSELL Fig. l

Fig. 3

ATTORNEYS Jan. 22, 1952 l. H. RUSSELL 2,583,232

SHOWER HEAD Filed Nov. 5, 194eV 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 F '2. 5 F ig. 6

RV/NG H. RUSSELL.

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 22, 1952 UNITEDl STATES I PATENT OFFICE SHOWER HEAD IrvingH. Russell, Oak Fark, Ill., assignor to Sloan Valve Company, Chicago,Ill., a corporation oi Illinois Application November 5, 1948, Serial No.58,498

8 Claims. (Cl. 299-59) The present invention .relates to shower headsofthetype commonly used in shower baths, and

after water iiow ceases, so there is no subsequentI dribble.

Another object of the invention is to produce a shower head in which thewater dispersing disc is normally spaced away from the spray outlet andresponsive to water iiow through the device, is automatically moved intoengagement with the spray outlet to produce a multiplicity of jetdischarge orifices.

Still further objects are to provide a new and improved shower headwhich is simple but du-l rable in construction; is highly efficient andre-' liable in performing its intended functions, which can `beeconomically manufactured in high production machinery so the device canbe sold at low cost; and finally which does not require constantmaintenance and service over long periods l of operation.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention consists incertain novel features in construction, operation, and combination ofthe various elements as will be more fully described and pointed outhereinafter.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1- is a sectional view through head embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a similar sectional view showing the shower head in operationwith water, flowing through the device;

Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a side view of the internal assembly unit of the device;

Fig. 5.is a modified form of the invention;

Fig. 6 is another modification;

Fig. 7 shows a cross-section of a different form of the invention inwhich'the piston is movable,l

while 1 v Fig. 8 is a cross-section taken generally along the line 1-1of Fig. 7.

In a large number of shower heads in general use at the present timethere is a Xed water dispersing disc arranged across the outlet end ofthe shower head, which is provided'with a multi plicity of small jetdischarge passages over its a shower l flushing out and cleansing thesame.

head eventually becomes completely clogged up with lime deposits orsediment carried along in the water supply. This necessitates thoroughcleaning of the jet orifices, and where a large number of shower headsare provided, as in public places, constant maintenance is required.

Other shower heads, of which a large number are in use at the presenttime, are provided with.

a manually operated handle which is connected to an adjustable waterdispersing disc, so that the disc may be raised or lowered in the sprayoutletV to regulate the annular jet discharge. After use by a person,the handle must be turned to lower the water dispersing disc and permita large ow of water to pass out of the shower head, thereby other showerheads, the water dispersing disc is adapted to be axially screwedoutward from the annular spray discharge opening to permit flush-` Afurther objection to the foregoing types of shower heads is that afterthe water supply has been turned off by a user, there is always a longdrawn out dribble of water from the shower headv which is objectionableand annoying to the user.

The foregoing disadvantages have all been overcome by the .presentinvention, in which the shower head is automatically self-cleaning and.permits instant discharge of the accumulatedv water in the shower headafter the supply valves' are turned off. Accordingly, the jet dischargeorifices will not become clogged up and the spray discharge therefromwill always be constant and of the desired character.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 1, which dis-y` closes a preferredembodiment of the invention, the general outward 4appearance of theshower head is of conventional shape, the internal mech anism, however,being entirely different as will now be pointed out.

The shower head casing comprises .a bellshaped body 5 having a lowerflanged portion E surrounding the spray outlet or discharge end l. Theupper neck portion 8,01 the body 5 is arranged to be carried orsupported from a. coupling nut 9 threaded thereon which clamps auniversal swivel joint or ball I0 directly against the packing ring I i,located in the top of the shower head casing to permit swinging theshower head in any In still desired direction. A nipple |2 is formedintegral Vwith the ball I and may be threaded onto a pipe carrying theinlet water supply through the nipple passage I3. The passage i3connects directly with the water passage I4 through the ball IE).

In order to regulate the Water flow through the passage I4, and therebythe force or velocity of the spray emitted, a throttle valve is providedon the shower head. This comprises a manual rotatable knob |5, having a'shaft extending through packing nut I6 in the side of the nipple I2.The valve opening I1 of the throttle I5, when turned in the directionshown in Fig, l, shuts off the water supply, and in the position shownin Fig. 2, permits water to enter the passage I4. A small circulargroove I 8 surrounding the shaft of throttle I on both sides of thevalve opening I1 per.- mits a small leak in the supply line to preventreverse .flow between the hot and cold water supply valves connected tothe rnipple I 2 in case the pressure of one exceeds the other.

The water passes through the shower head.

from passage I4 and lextends through a hollow piston stem 2|. Thishollow stem at its upper end is threaded directly into a partition 22formed across the upper end of the casing 5 and has a passage 23extending axially therein with a series of transverse orices 24 at thebottom end of the stem. The hollow stem 2| is provided with a screwdriver slot 25 at its lower end to permit it to be screwed into the body5 from the open end thereof into the partition 22,. and a nut 25 alsothreaded onto the lower end of the hollow stem .2| clamps a stationarypiston member 2`| upon the stem. This stationary piston 21 is preferably`formed of molded rm synthetic rubber having a reinforcement washer 28imbedded therein to lend rigidity to the same.

Located within the open end of the shell casing 5 is a hydrauliccylinder 3|, which is cupshaped, having its open upper end internallythreaded to receive a second inverted cup-shaped member 32. This cupmember 32 has an opening 33 through which the stem 2| slidably extendsand the cup forms a hydraulic pressure chamber 34 directly above thestationary piston 21. Below the stationary piston 21, the hydrauliccylinder 3| forms the relief chamber 35. Located within the reliefchamber 35 and encircling nut 25 is a restoring spring 31 exerting itspressure between the bottom of the piston head 21 and the bottom of thehydraulic cylinder 3|, so that cylinder 3| is normally .urged in adownward direction by the spring 31, and the open end 0f the upper cup32 contacts the top side 0f piston 21 and rests thereon.

At a point approximately midway of the length of hydraulic cylinder 3|is a series of orices 36 extending through the walls of the cylinder.These orices are preferably four in number and are of a size or totalcross-sectional area less than the hollow stem orices 24. It will beobserved that an annular space 39 is formed between the outside walls ofhydraulic cylinder 3| and the inside walls of the casing 5 for thepassage of water therethrough.

Located normally in juxta-position to the spray discharge opening 44 isan annular water dispersing' disc 48, having a series of jet dischargepassages or grooves 4| formed around its periphery and inclinedv at anangle outward with respect to the axis of the shower head. Thesegrooves. cooperate with the smooth inner sur'-l face of the sprayvoutlet 1 and are substantially parallel therewith to form thecone-shaped spray pattern made up of individual streams corresponding toeach groove 4|. The water dispersing disc is preferably made of somesynthetic plastic product, preferably Bakelite, which has the propertyof resisting corrosion and preventing the accumulation of sediment fromthe water. The disc 40 .is provided .at its upper surface with a pair oflugs 42, adapted to register loosely with holes formed in the bottom ofthe hydraulic cylinder 3| to prevent relative rotation therebetween, aswhen the disc 40 is clamped directly onto the rlower end of cylinder 3|by the knurled clamp screw 43, screwed axially in the bottom of thecylinder. It will be noted that the spray dispersing disc 40 is normallyprojected outward from the spray outlet 1 to provide a relatively largeannular discharge opening 44.

The knurled screw 43 is provided with a bore 4,6 for the accommodation.of a secondary water dispersing member 41, which is adapted to looselyrest on the bottom ledge of the bore 4S directly over a jet dischargeorifice 48. A pair of flutes 49 are formed on opposite sides of thedispersing member 41 to provide passages for the water through the j etdischarge nozzle 48.

In assembling the shower head, the hollow stem 2| is iirst passedthrough the opening 33 of the upper cup member 32, after which thehydraulic cylinder 3| is threaded onto the upper cup 32, the spring 31being first placed under the head of nut 26. This primary assembly isthen placed inside of the casing 5 and a screw driver applied to thelower slotted end 25 of hollow stern 2| and the stem threaded intopartition 22, the screw driver having access to the slot 25 through theaxial opening in the bottom of cylinder 3|. Next, the disc 40 is placedin position on the bottom of the cylinder 3|, with the lugs 42 in regis'try with the holes in the bottom of the cylinder. The periphery of disc4D is then grasped and the assembly held from rotation while the knurledscrew 43 is screwed into the cylinder 3|, thereby clamping the disc 40in position. The complete assembly and its external appearance isdepicted in Fig. 4, which shows knurled surfaces on cylinders 3| and 32to facilitate their assembly.

Referring now to the operation of the shower head in connection withFig. 2, it will be observed that the throttle valve I5 is turned topermit passage of the water from the inlet supply passage I3 to thepassage I4. The opening or closure of this throttle valve, however, isnot necessary each time the shower head is used, its principal pur posebeing to throttle the supply of water to the' desired flow when thepressure is excessive, the

usual thermostatic mixing valve or the separate hot vand cold valvesbeing used for shut-off purposes.

The inlet Water flow from the passage I4 extends through the hollowinterior passage 23 of stem 2| and out transversely through the seriesof orifices 24 into the pressure chamber 34. At the instant that thewater flow takes place, as in Fig. l, there will be no direct outlet forthe water ilow,nbut as the. pressure builds up in the pressure chamber34, which will be practically instantaneous, the pressure is exertedupward against the underside of the cup 32, forcing the same to riseupwardly along the outside of piston. stem 2|. This movement carriesalong the hydraulic cylinder 3| upwardly against the small amount. oftension exerted by restoring spring 31 and in sliding engagement withstationary piston 21. This upward motion of the hydraulic unit continuesuntil the periphery of the water dis persing disc and its grooves 4Ihave been moved into closing or contacting engagement with the annularspray outlet opening 1 of thecasing 5. thereby stopping the movement. Aninstant before this action takes place, the cylinder orifices 36 willhave been moved into a position where they are approximately parallelwith the upper surface of the stationary piston 21, as shown in Fig. 2.This permits the passage of water outward through the orifices 3S andinto the annular chamber 39 between cylinder 3i and casing 5. Water nowcontinues outwardly through the annular disc grooves 4I, resulting inthe discharge of a cone-shaped spray formation from the spray outlet 44and individual jet streams `corresponding to each groove 4I. It will beobserved that the cylinder orifices 36 are of a smaller crosssectionalarea than the orifices 24 in the stationary piston stem 2|. This is toenable a certain amount of back pressure to be built up within thechamber 34 to provide a head'of water suilicient to maintain thehydraulic cylinder 3l in its upward position and the water dispersingdisc 40 in the jet discharge position, as long as water flow takes placethrough the shower head.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that the movement of the waterdispersing disc 4U is in a direction in opposition to the ow of waterthrough the shower head withthe piston 21 remaining stationary while thehydraulic cylinder moves upwardly. no water ow can take place and nospray formation emitted until the disc 4U is completely into engagementwith the annular spray outlet 1 of the shower head, which can only occurwhen orifices 36 are moved into a position above piston 21. A perfectspray formation is therefore emitted at once and instantly instead ofgradually as in all other shower heads.

Upon the cessation of water flow through the shower head, as when theshut-01T valves are closed, the pressure within the pressure chamber 34is reduced and the restoring spring 31 is ef- Afective to exert itspressure against the bottom surface of piston 21 is contacted by thebottom of upper cup member 32, stopping the movement. At the same time,the water dispersing disc 40 moves downward and outward away fromengagement with the spray outlet 1, widely opening up the annularpassage 44 to permit the instant discharge of the remaining amount ofwater in the head after the supply valves have shut off, whereby noannoying prolonged dribble of water will take place..

It will be observed that the foregoing action and the inward and outwardmovement of the spray dispersing disc 45 takes place each time theshower head is turned on and off. The action is entirely automatic andresults in the immediate cleansing or flushing out of any sediment whichmay lodge within the grooves il or above the spray outlet 1 when thedisc is closed upon it.

It has been found in practice that where the rubber stationary pistonhead 21 has sliding Contact with the inner walls of the hydrauliccylinder 3 I, there will be a small amount of leakage due to thepressure built up within the pressure chamber 34. This leakage will passinto the lower chamber 35, and unless some provision was made forrelieving the same. the operation It will also be observed thatl of thedevice would not be entirely reliableV at all times. This relief hasbeen accomplished by permitting the leakage in chamber 34 to pass outthrough the bore 46 of the clamping screw 43, through the waterdispersing member 41 and out ofthe jet nozzle 48. The jet discharge fromthe nozzle 48 provides a secondary small discharge arranged axially'within the cone-shaped spray discharge emitted from the annular sprayoutlet 44. This is ar desirable feature since it provides an additionalspray discharge to a user of the shower'head which would not beavailable from the circular cone spray itself. The small dispersingmember 41 being loosely positioned in the bore 4B, and having relativelylarge discharge passages 49, is not subjected to clogging, since foreignmaterial will readily pass out of the relatively large openings. It hasbeen observed that if a transverse slot is cut across the bottom of thedispersion member 41 connecting the two iiutes 49, a better and moredesirable spray pattern formation is provided for the jet nozzle 48. 1

Referring now particularly to Fig. 5, this is a further exemplication ofthe invention illus-A trating similar operating principles in a showerhead, resulting in certain economies in construction. In thismodification, the body 5| is prefera-bly bell-shaped, having a iiange 52formed on its lower spray outlet end. A hollow stem 53 is threaded intoan upper partition of the body 5l and has a headed portion 54 formed onits lower side and provided wtih a screw driver slot, so that the stemmay be threaded into the body partition. An axial opening 55 extendsthrough thestem 53 and provides a passage leading to the series oforices 5B in the bottom of the stem 53. A hydraulic cylinder 51 ofgenerally inverted cup-shaped structure is provided at its upper endwith an opening through which the stem 53 extends, and with which thecup has sliding. movement. At the side walls a series of spaced orices58 are provided in cup 51, which are smaller than orifices 56 and arelocated directly below a rubber packing member 53, forced onto the screwhead 54. The hydraulic cylinder 51 is normally urged into its loweroutward position by an expansion spring [i0 pressing against washer 6lon top of the cylinder 51 and at its other end against the upper' bodypartition 5 i. At its lower open end, the hydraulic cylinder 51 supportsa water dispersing disc 62, which is attached to the same by a series ofscrews 53 threaded into the flanged rim 64 of the cup. In the normalposi-- tion as shown, a large annular water discharge opening 65 existsbetween thewater dispersing disc 62 and the shower head flange 52. Aknurled nut 66 is preferably screwedinthe 'bottom of the waterdispersing disc.'

YIn the operation of this modification, the water passes through thehollow stem 53` and the orl-` fices 56 therein, and builds up pressurein the pressure chamber 61, causing the hydraulic cylinder 51 to moveupwardly and the disc 52 to move into water dispersing engagement withthe flange 52, causing an annular jet discharge from the shower headopening 55. In order to provide a relief in the cylinder 51, below thepiston head 54, a small hole 68 may be provided to serve as an outletfor any waterescaping around the end of the piston packing 59. In thisconstruction of shower head, the action is similar to that described inconnection with the preferred embodiment illustratedin ligs.` 1 and 2,in that the initial waterow into the device does notresult in theimmediate formation of a jet discharge from f'tiie'spray outlet yuntilthedisc 62v is moved into fplace'against the AflangeZ of the casingtafter which the 'pressure within the pressure chamber 8 1 holds;it inthat position. Upon the cessation of waterrflow, the disc 62 isimmediately projected outward from the spray outlet, resulting in theimmediate discharge` of the accumulated water lin thegcasing so that noresultant dribble can take place. Y

Referring now to the second modification of the invention illustrated inFig. 6, the general arrangement `is 'somewhat4 similar to the previousdisclosures in that the shower head casing 1| -provided with a'sprayoutlet flange 12 and a 'hollow-piston Vstem '|3 threaded into thepartition formed `in the upper end of the casing 1|. At its Vlower end,clamping nut Mis threaded onto the stem 13 `and Aan axial hollow portion'l5 in-stem 'I3 'terminates lin -a series of trans.- verse orifices 15located near the Alower end of the stem. An inverted cup-shaped member'I7 forming the hydraulic movable cylinder, has an opening 18 at itsupper end, which normally rests in the position shown upon Ian annularshoulder or flange 'I9 'formed 'in the stem 13. Engaging in slidablerelationship with the inner walls of the hydraulic cylinder 11 is acup-shaped packing 'member '80 clamped in position yon the lower end vofstein 13 `by the mit 14. A restoring spring 81 has one end `in abutting'relationship with the bottomof the 'cup member', and its other endbea-ring againstfa 'closure disc 82 threaded into the V'open n'd ofhydraulic cylinder 1l. The spring jBI friornially exerts its pressureagainst the cylinder l1 vto hold the upper edge and opening 1B againstthelsho'ulder 19. A water dispersing disc 83 lis arranged lin `operativerelation to the vspray,outlet 12g, and provided with a series of jetdischarge openings 85 around its periphery. The 'nut 84 plarrp's the"dispersing disc 83 directly onto -the losure member 82, carried bycylifi-eer 11. w

As in the o'thij nrodiflcationsof the invention, water `flow throughthehollow stem l5 and orifices To creates a Lpressure `above the pistonmember '80, resulting in upward movement of hydrauliecylinder until itsupper end is spaced away fromI the ledge 19, whereupon water iiow willtake place, thrugh the orifices 'I8 and annular passage 88r betweentheoutside of cylinder il and the insideuof casing ll. At this time, thedisc 83l isrin spray discharge engagement with the outlet opening 12 ofthe casing and a conesha-pcd `epr'ay `discharge isceased to be emittedthrough thegiooves 85,'V -Upon the wateroflow ceasing 'to take plane,the spring 8 I immediately projects 'the disc 8 9 out rdkresulting inIquick discharge of the remairliney 'volume of Water in the shower head.l n 'y i A 'still further` indication of the invention is illustrated in7 and 8. In this arrangement, however, contrary to thempreviouslydescribed 'niodiiicatiorn` the piston` instead of being stationary. ismovable, while the enclosing cylirider stationary. ,Thie reduit-ee asomewhat different, structural arrangement of the shower head, althoughthe principles f operation are essenany 'we en@ The shower head -casing`90,is of bell-shaped construction, and is providedr with the lower angeportion 9| comprising the spray outlet. Piston eating@ heedel. ,Pedimits fairly closely and-,A reeipocates within an inverted cupshapedcylinder 93. while the stem portion 949i the Disti head 92 eitendsdwnwardand at its lll 8 lower-end carriesthe Water. dispersine disc .9.5clamped inyplace lon thestem 94 by the clamp screw 96. A closure membery91 threadedl on the inner surface of casing serves as a bearing for thestem 94 and has an upwardly projecting bearing portion 95', upon whichthe head of piston 92 normally rests. The closure member 91 is threadedinward until it engages the open end of the cylinder 93 to tightly holdit within casing 90. At its upper end, a protruding boss 98 is formed onlthe top side of cylinder 93 to register with water passageway 99 in thecasing and prevent rotation of the cylinder within the casing. Arestoring spring |00 arranged between the water dispersing disc y andthe closure disc 91 normally holds the piston head 92 on the shoulder 95of disc 92 and the disc 95 outward from the spray outlet 9|.. Waterpassages are formed in the body-including passages 99, |0|, |02 and'|03, thepassa'ge |0| leading to two opposite sides of the cylinder 93,as indicated in Fig. 8, and into oppositely disposedoriiices |04extending through the wall of cylinder '93 to the underside of pistonhead 92. Another pair of oppositely disposed water passages |03 connectthe orices |05 in the cylinder 93 above piston 92 to the waterdispersing disc 95 and the spray outlet. As viewed in Fig. 8, the pairof passages |02 and |03 being adjacently disposed, are separated by aseries of projections |06 formed in the inner walls of casing 90.

Water flow through the device takes place through passages |i, 99 and|02, and orifices |04, causing pressure formation within the chamber |07below piston head 92 to raise it upwardly until it is `moved past theposition directly opposite the upper cylinder orifices |05, whereuponthe water pressure is relieved and passes through the orices |05 andoutwardly through the two passages |03 to the spray outlet. At thistime, the disc 95 is in registry with the spray outlet 9| to cause aspray discharge. Upon water ceasing to flow through the device, thespring |09 forces the disc 95 outward assisted by gravity and causes thepiston 92 to assume its lower-most position. In this modification, itwill be seen that the ow of water through the shower head is in adirection opposite to that in which the disc 95 is moved each time, andupon water flow ceasing to take place, the disc is immediately projectedoutwardv equivalents may be substituted therefor, withoutl departingfrom the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a self-cleaning shower head, a casing having a; Water supply inletand a spray outlet, a movable hydraulic cylinder inside said casing butseparated from the side walls thereof, a water dispersing disc attachedto one end of said cylinder and positioned in spaced relation to saidspray outlet, a stationary piston within said cylinder having a hollowsupporting stem attached to said casing, the water flow through saidhollow stein and into said cylindercausing said cylinder to be. movedWithin said casing and thereby move said discinto ,water dispersingposition in said spray outlet, said cylinder having orifices in thesides thereof normally blocked by said piston and opened only when saidcylinder has positively moved said disc into said spray outlet whereby awater passage is provided extending from said hollow stem through saidcylinder orices to the side walls of said casing into said spray outlet.

2. In a self-cleaning shower head, a casing having a water supply inletand a spray outlet, a movable hydraulic cylinder inside said casing butseparated from the side walls thereof, a water dispersing discpositioned adjacent said spray outlet, and attached to one end of saidcylinder, a stationary piston inside said cylinder having a hollow stemprojecting from the other end of said cylinder, the end of said stembeing attached to said casing whereby said cylinder and disc aresupported by said piston, the flow of water through said casing and saidhollow stern into said cylinder causing said cylinder to be raised fromsaid piston to move said disc into water dispersing engagement with saidspray out let, said cylinder having orifices in the sides thereofnormally blocked by said piston and opened only when said cylinder haspositively moved said disc into said spray outlet whereby a waterpassage is provided extending from said hollow stem through saidcylinder orifices to the side walls of said casing into said sprayoutletA 3. In a self-cleaning shower head, a casing having a watersupply inlet and a spray outlet, a movable hydraulic cylinder insidesaid casing but separated from the side walls thereof, a waterdispersing disc positioned across but outward from said spray outlet andfastened to one end of said cylinder, a stationary piston in saidcylinder having a hollow stem projecting from the other end of saidcylinder, the end of said hollow stem being attached to said casingleading to said water supply inlet, said hollow stern being providedwith water flow orices leading into said cylinder on one side of saidpiston, said cylinder being provided with water flow orifices leadingfrom the other side of said piston into said casing side walls and saidspray outlet, the water flow through said casing and said hollow stemorifices causing said cylinder to be raised to a position where saidcylinder orifices and said stern orinces coincide to permit water flowtherethrough, the movement of said cylinder also causing said disc to bemoved into engagement with said spray outlet to cause a dispersing sprayto be emitted from said spray outlet.

4. In a self-cleaning shower head, a casing having a water supply inletand a spray outlet, a movable hydraulic cylinder in said casing butseparated from the side walls thereof, a water dispersing disc attachedto said cylinder and normally arranged across but out of engagement withsaid spray outlet, a piston in said cylinder having a projecting hollowstem attached to said casing, water flow through said casing and intosaid hollow stem and cylinder causing said cylinder to be moved withrespect to said piston whereby said disc is moved into water dispersingengagement with said spray outlet, said cylinder having orifices in thesides thereof to provide a water passage extending from said hollow stemthrough said cylinder orifices to the side walls of said casing and intosaid spray outlet and cooperative means on said piston and said cylinderfor preventing water ilow through said water passage and spray outletuntil said disc is moved into engagement with said spray outlet.

5. In a self-cleaning shower head, a casing having a water supply inletand having a spray outlet, a water dispersing disk and a guidingconnection between the disk and the casing formed and adapted to guidethe disk toward and away from the spray outlet, said disk having an edgeportion conforming substantially to the inner diameter of the sprayoutlet when opposed thereto, an assembly for moving the water dispersingdisk against said spray outlet in respense to a flow of water inwardlythrough the water supply inlet, said assembly including means adapted toinitiate the flow of water between the disk and the spray outlet at theend of the movement of the disk toward the spray oulet, the opposed edgesurfaces of the spray outlet and the disk being shaped to deiinecircumferentially spaced jet discharge oriiices, and means for movingthe disk to a position withdrawn from said spray outlet, when the ilowof water through the water supply inlet is terminated.

6. The structure of claim 5 characterized in that the assembly includesan apertured shutter element and an opposed closure element cooperatingtherewith, one such element being fixed in relation to the casing andthe other such element being mounted for movement in unison with thedisk.

7. In a self-cleaning shower head, a casing raving a water supply inletand having a spray outlet, said outlet having a circumferential lipfixed in relation to the casing, a water dispersing disc and a guidingconnection between the disc and the casing formed and adapted to guidethe disc toward and away from the lip, said disc having an edge portionconforming substantially to the inner diameter of the lip when opposedthereto, an assembly for moving the water dispersing disc against thelip in response to a flow of water inwardly through the water supplyinlet, said assembly including means adapted to initiate the Aflow ofwater between the disc and the lip at the end of the movement of thedisc toward the lip, the opposed edge surfaces of the lip and the discbeing shaped to define circumferentially spaced jet discharge orifices,and means for moving the disk to a position outwardly withdrawn from thelip when the ow of water through the water supply inlet is terminated.

8. The structure of claim 7 characterized in that the assembly includesa hollow guiding stem ixed on the casing and a piston member xed on thestem, and a cylinder to which the disc is secured, movable on the stemand with respect to said piston, the cylinder including a ported wallportion opposed to said piston member and movable with the cylinder toplace the water inlet in communication with the jet discharge orifices.

IRVING I-I. RUSSELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,291,767 Cogswell Jan. 21, 19191,597,621 Reichard Aug. 24, 1926 2,049,141 Schneider July 28, 19362,222,465 Nystrom Nov. 19, 1940 2,404,081 Mock et a1. ,l'uly 16, 1946FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 183,167 France 1887

